Silky, salty sour cream and potatoes are a classic combination. You probably think of baked potatoes topped with a white dollop of rich, thick cream, or perhaps classic chips and dip. When you transform the ingredients into a soup, you get spoonful after spoonful of that slightly tangy-salty flavor with the satisfying bite of a starchy potato.

This is one of those recipes handed down for at least four generations now in my family. It all started waaaaay back in Hungary when probably my great-great grandmother, if not generations further back, made the most out of what they had, and stretched it to feed their families. It's so simple and savory that even in times like these when food is more than abundant, you can't help but serve up a bowl with a side of bread for a meal that hits the spot.

My "Gan", or my grandma, had this recipe in her repertoire. I remember her teaching me how to make it, step by step - a pinch of this, and eyeballing ingredients until they "looked right". I never wrote it down until now. But! I'm glad I am - because I want at least four more generations to carry on the tradition of her potato soup.

Chop the potatoes into bite size pieces, approximately 1 inch "cubes". They're not really "cubes" but you get the idea! :)

1. Peel the potatoes.

2. Chop the potatoes into bite size pieces, approximately 1 inch "cubes". They're not really "cubes", but that's ok! The imperfection of the soup is what makes it so authentically homemade!

Place the chopped potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with about 3 inches of water. It's ok if the water looks starchy! No worries!

3. Put the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with about 3 inches of water. (It's ok if the water looks starchy! No worries!) Add a pinch of salt to the water. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes until fork tender. As the potatoes boil, you'll see a starchy foam come to the top of the pot. You can just skim it off with a spoon and discard it.

Mix the 3 Tbsp. flour and just enough water in a separate bowl to form a liquid that's slightly thicker than milk.

4. While your potatoes are cooking, in a separate bowl, mix the 3 Tbsp. flour with enough water so it's a little thicker than milk. (This will thicken your soup.) Mix until it's smooth.

I prefer to use Breakstone's Sour Cream. If you skimp here and try to use a light version of sour cream, I won't be held responsible for your disaster! We're going for a rich and creamy soup here - nothing watered down!

Add the entire container of sour cream to the flour-water mixture.

Mix the sour cream and flour-water mixture until it's well-blended, smooth, and glossy.

5. Add the entire container of sour cream to the flour-water mixture.

6. Mix the sour cream and flour-water mixture until it's well-blended and smooth.

Add the sour cream mixture to the pot that the potatoes are in, when the potatoes are fully cooked.

7. When the potatoes are fork-tender, add the sour cream mixture to the pot and stir. Lower the heat to medium. Stir occasionally until the sour cream mixture assimilates with the water to form a soup.

8. Add 1 tsp. of vinegar. Stir.

9. When the soup comes to a boil, turn off the heat.

Chives are easy to grow - even if you only have a window box! :) Snip some off, and they will grow back in a few weeks for continual harvest!

10. The garnishes are optional, but boy, they make your soup look appetizing! Snip some chives into small bits and place aside.

11. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish each with a sprinkle of chives and some caraway seeds.

The chives and caraway seeds are optional. My grandmother only garnished the soup with some caraway seeds, which is just fine. Or you can do a just chives version, too. Or be a plain Jane and go garnish free!

Special Notes:

This will easily serve four people and can suffice as a main meal if you pair some good bread with it on the side.

Leftover soup can be stored in containers in the refrigerator for 4 - 5 days.

The softened sautéed onions peek out of the fresh rye or crusty bread slices layered with fried baloney.

I think I had my first fried baloney sandwich when I was four years-old. I sank my teeth into the sautéed onions layered with the baloney fried in lard, stacked on either thin fresh slices of soft rye or crusty bread. You could serve it on white bread in a pinch, but for maximum authenticity, I recommend a bread that can stand up to the baloney.

Wait! Did I say lard!? Yes. Lard. It's a natural fat with flavor. Don't let it scare you. It imparts flavor to cabbage, potatoes, noodles, and meats that olive or vegetable oil just can't do. I'm not saying make it a dietary staple; but don't run from it for sure! There just is no substitute for it in many dishes. And in this case - the melted lard drips onto the bread, reminiscent of Hungarian zsíros kenyér (pronounced zhirdosh-kenya), or "greasy bread".I'm mostly Hungarian by heritage. My grandmother, my "Gan," recently passed away, and I guess that's why I'm thinking about the foods she famously made. One of my favorite memories is making Hungarian greasy bread with her around a backyard fire pit, melting a slab of pork fat over the flames, and then drenching its juices over fresh rye bread, optionally garnishing it with raw onion. Like many past times, it's hard to say what was enjoyed more - the flavor or the experience - but they are surrounded by loved ones and food.

Get out your fresh bread! I found a great Portuguese Loaf at the store that I couldn't resist! But a soft rye bread would do this sandwich justice, too.

Ingredients:

4 large slices of freshly baked rye bread (You can substitute Portuguese loaf, or a crusty bread with a soft inside; even white bread will do in a pinch.)

1 - 1/4" wide slice of lard (Hey, if you deviate from this and use Crisco or something else, you're just not going to get the authenticity of this sandwich, I'm tellin' ya!)6 slices of German bologna (you can use Oscar Meyer if you have to)1/2 onion, sliced thinly

Get out your frying pan.

Instructions:

1. Get out your frying pan.

Lard can be found in your general grocery store. It's shelf stable. It's in a large brick, similar to butter. Just cut a thin slice and use it as you would instead of olive or vegetable oil. You can melt it over medium heat and it turns into a liquid. Despite popular claims that lard is unhealthy; lard is a rendered fat from meat that is totally natural. Your body will be able to break down the components of lard much more easily than any chemically altered fat or fat substitute. It's a "good" fat. Just like anything, use it in moderation.

2. Cut 1/4" slice of lard and melt it in the pan.

Slice the onions.

3. Slice a 1/2 an onion. Start frying the slices in the pan, giving it a little stir every now and then.

Take 5 - 6 slices of bologna and cut them into strips.

4. Stack the slices of bologna and slice it into strips. Separate the strips and place them in the pan with the onions.

The onions will finish softening as the bologna mingles with them.

5. When the onions are soft, and the bologna is heated through, it's all done! Start layering the bologna and onions on a slice of bread. There's enough for two sandwiches, so distribute the filling evenly.

Layer the onions and bologna on the bread.

6. Cover each caramelized onion and bologna layer with another slice of fresh bread, and enjoy!

I don't feel there's any need for mustard, but if you must.... :) I like a good deli pickle served on the side, too!